As I shared on LinkedIn, this last week has been overwhelming for me: I received the inaugural Black@ Community Impact Award for service to the community via #ShareBlackStories, presented by Facebook VPs.
I presented to the Instagram company today with Adam Mosseri
And I was just featured on Facebook Life: https://lnkd.in/gNYa-yK
Finally, I went #viral with 1.2m+ views on my “How Black People Tell Stories” Reel, landing on BET, R29 Unbothered, Blavity, Official Black Wall Street, Stay Macro, OkayPlayer and Miss Tina Lawson‘s socials. (I pitched no one). My reach grew +324% and total followers +34.5% in the past 30d.
If you want a Reel laugh, try Part 2 crowdsourced from the Comments of Pt. 1. I woke up to see my following doubled and didn’t expect this kind of widespread reaction. The Black History Month timing was completely coincidental. I just wanted to give my community a chuckle.
To finally have original content push a trackable 1M feels so awesome and surreal, as I’ve been creating content online for years.
The recipe here is simple:
- Don’t overthink or overproduce it. Create the second it pops into your head
- But light well, always
- Content should be accessible (vocals and closed captions)
- If you laugh out loud, it might be funny. If you don’t think it’s funny, don’t post it
- People should see themselves in the content
- consider what would move them to share
- what’s relatable?
- what’s painfully un-ingnorable?
- what’s informative?
- Clearly communicated title in Thumbnail for Sharing
- Seize cultural moments and video trends
- If it can be short (15s) keep it SHORT
Thoughts on going viral:
- Oh my god what is happening right now
- Wow this would be the one to do it
- I can’t even see all of my notifications help help
- Do they want more funnies OMG
- This is gonna [redacted] my engagement rate yuck
Oddly, I’m enjoying this new, highly affirming digital community of folks. A LOT more women, a LOT more millennial. Welcome to the shenanigans.
JOY OFODU | From Joy to the World 